Overview
- Uganda officially nominated veteran diplomat Olara Otunnu and sent him to New York to engage with U.N. delegations and participate in interactive dialogues, a development reported on Monday.
- Otunnu is a longtime U.N. figure who served as under‑secretary‑general and special representative for children and armed conflict from 1997 to 2005 and who helped design the Security Council straw‑ballot system known as the Otunnu Formula.
- He required visa assistance to travel because current U.S. measures tied to Ebola have restricted entry for Ugandan nationals, a practical hurdle that affected his ability to campaign directly with some delegations.
- The contest is shaped by an informal expectation that the next secretary‑general will come from Latin America, so Otunnu’s late, experienced bid is widely seen as a dark‑horse or fallback option if leading Latin American candidates lose Security Council support.
- The U.N. selection is driven by the 15‑member Security Council using straw polls to surface potential vetoes, requires at least nine council votes with no permanent‑member veto for a recommendation, and then needs General Assembly approval for a candidate who would begin a five‑year term on Jan. 1.